Trolley mechanism for railway-cars.



C. KASPAR,

TROLLEY MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CARS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11, I912. RENEWED JAN.22.1917.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917'.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

C. KASPA'R.

TROLLEY MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11, 1912. -RENEWED JAN. 22,191

1,238,148. Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Cir

CARL KASPAR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TROLLEY MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

weenie.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A11 28, 1917.

Application filed October 11, 1912, Serial No. 725,213. Renewed January 22, 1917. Serial No. 143,843.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL KAsrAR, a sub ject of the Emperor of Austria, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley Mechanism for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trolley mechanism for electric railway cars, and has reference more particularly to a new and improved mechanism for operating and controlling the trolley-wheel carrier, and facilitating the finding of the wire by the motorman or conductor from either end of the car. Many socalled trolley wire finders have been proposed, but the same have been used to but slight extent, if at all, because of such limited capacity as to be of little practical use.

Among the salient objects of my present invention, are, to provide a trolley mechanism that shall be capable of operation by the motorman or conductor from either end of the car without leaving the latter; to pro vide a trolley mechanism wherein the operator shall have perfect control of the trolley-wheel carrier and wheel during both vertical and lateral movements of the latter so as to readily enable the wheel to be guided directly into contact with the wire; to provide an improved trolley mechanism wherein the vertical and lateral oscillations of the trolley-wheel carrier may take place without any interference with or hindrance from the operating mechanism of said carrier; to provide a mechanism wherein the trolleywheel carrier may be readily drawn down and automatically locked in lowered position when desired, as when the car is to be sent into the barn; and to provide a trolley mechanism which will obviate the slipping of the trolley-wheel off the wire and insure its remaining in continuous touch with the wire irrespective of speed, and curvature and unevenness of the track.

My invention, its mode of operation, and its advantages will all be readily comprehcnded when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated one practical mechanical embodiment of the same and in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the roof and upper portion of an electric car showing my improved mechanism in side elevation as applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail plan View, partly in horizontal section, of a portion of the contact frame operating mechanism through or by which accommodation is made for the vertical vibration of said frame when in service. Fig. i is a side elevation of the winding drum and its gear, showing also a spiral spring within said drum through the agency of which the operating cable of the contact frame is maintained taut under the vertical vibrations of said frame. Fig. 5 is a detail top plan view of a crank disk and locking mechanism therefor that is located on the platform of the car and constitutes the initial element of the contact frame operating mechanism. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view, partly in section and partly in side elevation of the crank disk and locking mechanism shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail top plan view of the crank disk locking pin and its support as shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail elevation of a portion of the mechanism for operating and controlling the lateral or side swinging movements of the trolley con tact framei Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a rectangular frame-casting secured to the underside of a car roof 11, preferably at the longitudinal center of the latter, and having on its upper side a pair of ears 12 in which is pivotally mounted, on an axis extending lengthwise of the car, an auxiliary frame 13. Journaled in bearings 1a of said auxiliary frame, the axes of which extend transversely of the car, are the lower arms 15 of a trolley contact frame of the lazy tongs type, the upper arms 16 of which are forked and pivotally connected at their upper ends and carry a trolley wheel 17 adapted to engage the usual overhead trolley wire 18. The lower arms 15 are connected, near their lower ends, by a strong tension spring 19 which normally tends to expand the contact frame and keep the trolley wheel in engagement with the wire. W

Within the main frame 10 is mounted a fixed horizontal shaft 20 (Fig. 3) on which is loosely mounted a hollow drum 21 having a spirally grooved periphery 22 to which is attached a cable 23 adapted to wind and un wind on said drum, said cable extending upwardly through the frames 10 and 1S and the roof of the car, and attached at its upper end to the upper joint of the trolley contact frame. When the cable 23 is wound up on and the trolley contact frame expandsunder the action of spring 19.

The expanding and contracting movements of the trolley contactframe are effected and controlled fro-1n the ends of the car by mechanism within convenient reach of the motornian or conductor on the platforms. This operating and controlling mechanism includes a lost-motion mechanism which accommodates the vertical vibratory motion of the trolley contact frame that always occurs owing to variations in thedistance between the trolley wire 18 and the roof 11 of the car and the variations in the load effect of the trolley wire on the contact frame at dill'crent points along the route.

As so much of the operating and control ling mechanism as extends from the ends of the car to the central frame-casting 10 is in duplicate at the two ends of the car, the duplicate parts of this mechanism will be described and identified by the same reference characters. Journaled in hearings in the opposite end walls of the frame casting 10 and in hanger brackets 2-1- secured to the roofs of the end platforms are a pair of shafts 25. The outer end of each shaft is geared by bevel pinions 26 and 27 to the upper end of a vertical shaft journaled in the bracket Z-Zl and in an inwardly extending'hi'mtket2f) secured to the outer end wall of the car platform. Keyed .to the lower end of shaft 28 is a crank disk 30 provided with an operating handle 31.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 3 and l, which show-the lost-motion mechanism for accommodating the vibratory expanding and contracting movements of the trolley contact frame when in service, and which lost-motion mechanism constitutes a part of the complete mechanism forcollapsing the contact-frame and controlling its expanding movement into engagement with the trolley wire, designates a helical spring housed within the hollow windingdruni 21, said spring being secured at its outer end 33 to the inner peripl'iery of said drum and at its inner end 34 to the fixed .shaft 20 on which the drum is mounted.

thread 38 that extends entirely through the hub member 37, the extreme inner end of said shaft 25, beyond said threaded portion, 38, having a bearing in an inwardly projecting studfi?) of the frame casting 10. Slidably mounted within the hub 37, and splined thereto, as shown at +10, is an internally threaded sleeve l1 that engages the threaded portion 38 of the shaft Fast on the-hub member 37, and preferably integral or fast with the inner face of the spur gear 36, is a bevel gear 42 that meshes with an idler bevel gear 43 journaled on the stud :19. The idler gear l3 in turn meshes with a bevel gear l-sl that corresponds with the bevel gear -12 but turns in the opposite direction, and is itself fast on a hub member corresponding with the hub member 37. Said hub member if) contains an internally threaded'sleeve 46 splined thereto at 17 and corresponding with the sleeve 1-1, said sleeve -16 engaging a. similar threaded portion -18 ofthe other shaft 25, the extreme inner end of which is also journaled in the stud 39 opposite the extreme inner end of its com panion shaft Between the outer end of the hub 37 and the adjacent side wall of the frame casting 10 is a bearing ring or washer .4-9, and between the outer end of hub 15 and the opposite side wall of the frame casting 10 is a similar bearing ring or washer 50. Keyed to each of the shaft within the *ashers 49 and. 50 a collar 51 formed on its inner face with a tooth adapted to engage a cooperative tooth 53 on the outer end of each of the threaded sleeves l1 and 1 .6 when thelatter are at the extreme of their outward travel on their respective screws 38 and 1.8; the purpose of said cooperating teeth being to effect a positive driving clutch-engagcment between the shafts 25 and the sleeves 1-1 and 46.

The parts of the mechanism SllOVi'l'l in Zloccupy substantially the relative positions therein illustrated when the trolley contact-frame is in the service position shown in Fig. 1, the cable 23 being then substantially unwound from the drum 2.1. Assuming that it is desired to completely collapse the trolley contact-frame from the lefthand end .of the car shown in Fig. 1,

the handle 31 grasped and the crank disk v30 turned continuously in one direction.

During the first part of this tiu'ning move- -DlQHt the sleeve 41 feeds inwardly on the screw 38 until the tooth catches the tooth 53, whereupon the rotative movement of the shaft 25 is then transmitted to the hub 37, gear136, cooperating gear 35, and drum 21, thus winding up the cable and collapsing the CODlLiICt-fi'lll'HO. As soon as the rotative movement of hub 37 and gear 36 has begun, this vmovement is transmitted through idler gear 1-3, bevel gear d, hub 4-5 and spline 4:7, to the mating sleeve 46, which simply causes the latter to feed idly outwardly on its screw 18 during the winding up of the cable 23. hen the cable is to be unwound to allow the contactframe to expand and move the trolley wheel 17 into engagement with the trolley wire 18, the crank disk 30 is turned in the opposite direction. During the first part of such turning movement, the spring 19 and trolley contact-frame unwind the cable 2-3 from the drum 21, but during this unwinding of the cable the sleeve 1-1 remains stationary relatively to its screw 38, since the two are rotating in the same direction and at the same speed. During this part of the back turning movement, however, the oppo site sleeve 16 is fed back inwardly of its screw 18 to the position shown in Fig. 3. As soon, now, as the wheel 17 has found. the wire 18, and the contact-frame is halanced against the wire, there is no further rotative movement of the drum 21 and the parts geared thereto; but the back turning movement of the crank disk 30 is continued beyond that point until the sleeve L1 is fed outwardly of its screw 38 to the normal operative position shown in Fig. 3.

The parts operate in precisely the same manner when actuated from the other end of the car; the only difference being that, in this case, the sleeve lG, hub t5, and bevel gears 4 t, 4 3 and B are active driving members, instead of idlers, while the sleeve 1'1 is idly shifted outwardly and then inwardly of its screw in the same manner as described with reference to the sleeve to.

lVhen the parts are in the normal operative position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the helical spring 32, the tendency of which is to wind the cable 23 on the drum 21, keeps the cable 23 taut and relieves the trolley wire 18 of undue upward pressure resulting from the expanding tendency of the contactframe under the action of the stronger spring 19. During the vertical vibratory movements of the contact-frame, the sleeves n and as merely play outwardly and inwardly slightly upon their respective screws, without exerting any appreciable turning effect upon the long transmission shafts and their actuating mechanism at the ends of the car. The threaded inner portions of the shafts 25, the sleeves Lil. and +6, and the gearing connecting the same, thus constitute in effect, a lost-motion mechanism included within the operating mechanism of the trolley contact-frame that readily accommodates the vertical vibratory motions of the latter in service without transmitting the same throughout the entire operating mechanism. In this connection it may be noted that the operating teeth 51- and are not indispensable, since they might be omitted without affecting the described operation; but they are preferably employed in order to prevent undue jamming of the outer ends of the sleeves -ft1 and 16 against the collar 51, which might interfere with the freedom of the unwinding movement of the cable drum. The c0llars 51, are, of course, so set on their respective shafts that the cooperating teeth will couple just at the limit of the inward movement of the sleeves.

With such a mechanism as that above described, it is desirable to provide a means for determining and limitin the exact required turning movement of crank disk 30, as well as for locking the latter at the two extremes of such turning movement. This may be effected in various ways, but in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, I have illustrated a simple mechanism for securing this result.

Referring to said drawings, it will be noted that in the upper face of the crank disk 30 is formed a spiral groove 54-, and on its lower face is formed a narrow diametric slot in which is slidably mounted a latchbar 56 supported on pins 57 extending across the slot and engaging a slot 58 in said latch-bar. The upper edge of the outer end portion of the latch-bar 56 intersects on a radial line the bottom of the spiral groove 5 1, as shown in Fig. 6 and said upper edge is formed with a pair of outer and inner cam notches 59 and 60, respectively, that cooperate with a locking-pin 5 hereinafter referred to. The latch-bar 56 is normally forced outwardly by a spring 61, and adapted to be manually drawn inwardly, when the handle 31 is grasped, by a trig per (32.

In, the bracket 29 is formed a horizontal slot 63, in which is sliclably mounted a locking-pin housing 6 f carrying a spring pressed locking-pin 65, the lower end of which travels in the spiral groove 54 and is normally pressed downwardly. Fig. 6 shows the parts in the positions which they occupy when the contact-frame is in the expanded position (Fig. 1). Upon collapsing the contact-frame hereinbefore described, the handle 31 is grasped, the trigger G2 drawn toward the handle whereupon the cam notch 60 forces the locking-pin up wardly flush with the bottom of the groove. whereby the c-ank disk 30 is released, and the latter is then turned continuously in one direction until the locking-pin snaps down into the notch 59, the latch-bar 56 having been released during the turning movement. The crank disk 30 is thus positively locked at both extremes of its turning movement, thus holding the shaft 25 locked against possible oscillation under the vibratory movements of the contact-frame; and the length of the spiral groove 54 between the inner and outer locking points 60 and 59 is made to accurately conform with the required extent of turning movement of the crank disk in order to effect the described operation of the mechanism and insure an intermediate position of the sleeves l1 and 46 on their respective screws.

It is, of course, necessary, when employing a contact-frame of the type herein shown, to provide means for etl'ecting the lateral swing of said frame when moving the wheel into engagement with the wire, as well as for permitting lateral vibration oi said "frame in service. The pivoting of the auxiliary frame 13 on a longitudinal axis in the bearings 12, of course, permits such late al movement of the contact-frame, and its lateral movement is regulated by av pair of springs (36 Fig. 2) anchored at their lower ends to the decks of the ear roof and at their upper ends connected to laterally extending arms 67 on the auxiliary frame 13. T he outer ends of the arms (37 are preterably connected to the deck ot the root by jointed links (38, which aid somewhat in steadying the contact-frame and serve to limit the extreme lateral swing of the latter, although said links are not essential, and may be dispensed with if desired. To the outer ends of the arms 67 are connected a. pair of operating cables (if), as shown in Fig. 8, each of said cables extending :tron'i the end of one of the arms (37 downwardly through a hole '70 in the deck of the car, thence around a horizontally jtuirnaled. pulley 71 carried by a bracket 72 secured to the under side 01 the deck of the car, thence to the outer end of the car vestibule and over a pair of vertically journaled pulleys 7? (Fig. 2), supported by brackets Tl secured to the root ot the vestibule, thence back over a pulley 71 on, the opposite side of the car, and thence upwardly to the outer end of the other arm 67. To the outer end wall of the vestibule is pivoted an operating lever 75, the upper end oi which is made fast to that portion of the cable 69 that extends between the pulleys 73. t will be manifest that by swinging the lever 75 to one side or the other, the trolley contacttraine will be swung laterally in the same direction as the lower arm of the lever 75.

In order that the motorman, from his position in the car vestibule, may be able to guide and direct the expanding movement of the contact-frame when throwin the trolley-wh eel onto the wire, it is necessary to provide means for enabling him to observe the movements of said contact-frame during this operation. For this purpose I provide a mirror su tably positioned to reflect the image of the contact-frame to the eye of the motorman. T his mirror may be mounted on he vestibule in any suitable or desired man ner to secure the results stated; but preferably I provide a mirror, such as is indicated at 76 in Fig. 1 that is hinged at 77 to the root of the vestibule just above the end wall thereof, and lies above and normally covers an opening 78 in the root of the vestibule. The mirror 76 may conveniently be raised to a suitable angle to retlect the image oi. the eontact-trame and trolley-wheel to the eye of the motorman by an operating device comprising a vertically movable opera-ting rod 79 slidably mounted in guides 80 on the end "all of the vestibule and connected to the mirror-trame by pivoted links 81. The operating rod ill has an inwardly-bent lower end 79 to form a handle, and may be retained in adjusted position by a friction spring in this way the mirror is conveniently mounted in a 'lavorable position to perform its function; and, when not in use, constitutes a closure for the opening 78, pre venting the entrance of rain, as well as protecting the reflecting face of the mirror from exposure to the elements when not in service.

'llhe operation of the apparatus has already been indicated in construction with the description of its construction. t will be evident that the operating parts are all within easy manipulation and control by the motornmn "From his position on the end platform of the car; that the conteetd rame, when collapsed, is automati ally locked in collapsed position; that the cable 23 is automatically maintained taut during the vibrations of the contact-it 'ame; that the motormau, by operating the crank disk 30 with one hand and the lever 75 with. the other, is able to move the trolley-wheel 11. directly and accurately into engagement with the wire 18. without having to fish tor the latter: and that the manipulation of the trolley cmitact-trame is thus placed under the control of the molorman, relieving the conductor of the car ot that duty.

Although I have herein illustrated and described a trolley-wheel arrier having the form of a contact-frame ot the lazy-tongs type. it will be evident that this specific form of trolley-wheel carrier is not essential to the carrying out of my invention in its broader aspects, but may be substituted by any other form or type of trolley-wheel carrier capable of np-and-down movements or up-and-down and lateral movements on its support.

it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that the described mechanism may otherwise be modified in respect to details without involving any leparture trom the principles involved or sacrificing any of the benefits and advantages ot the invention. Hence I do not limit the latter to the particular mechanism disclosed except to the extent clearly indicated in specific claims.

I claim 1. The combination with a car body, or". a trolley-wheel carrier mounted thereon, a

spring normally tending to elevate said car rier, a winding-drum, a cable connected to said winding-drum and to the upper portion of said carrier, a spring lighter than said carrier-raising spring normally tending to turn said drum in a direction to wind said cable thereon, and drum-winding mechanism extending from said drum to an end platform of the car.

2. The combination with a car body, of a trolley-wheel carrier mounted thereon, a spring normally tending to elevate said carrier, a \\'imli1ig'dru1i1, a cable connected to said winding-drum and to the upper portion of said carrier, a spring lighter than said carrier-raising spring normally tending to turn said drum in a direction to wind said cable thereon, and drum-winding mechanism extending from said drum to an end platform of the car, said drum-winding mechanism including a lost-motion mechanism permitting freedom of oscillation of said drum under the vertical vibration of said carrier.

3. The combination with a car body, of a trolle \"-wheel carrier mounted thereon, a spring normally tending to elevate said car rier. a wimling-drmn, a cable connected to said wimlingalrum and to the upper portion of said carrier, a spring lighter than said carrier-raising spring normally tending to turn said drum in a direction to wind the cable thereon, an operating shaft extending from the vicinity of said winding-drum to an end platform of the car and having a threaded inner end, an internally threaded sleeve engaging the threaded inner end of said operating; shaft. and a gear connection between said sleeve and drum having splined engagement with said sleeve.

l. T he CfilllbllliltlUIl with a car body, of a trolley-wheel carrier mounted thereon, a spring normally tending to elevate said car rier. a wiailing-drum, a cable connected to said winding-drum and to the upper portion of said carrier, a spring lighter than said carrierraising spring normally tending to turn said drum in a direction to wind the cable thereon, a pair of longitudinally alined operating shafts extending from the vicinity of said winding-drum to the end platforms of the car, respectively, and having threaded inner ends, internally threaded sleeves engaging the threaded inner ends of said operating shafts, a gear-train between and having splined engagement with said sleeves, and a gear connection between one member of said gear-train and said drum.

The combination with a car body, of a trolley-wheel carrier mounted thereon, a spring normally tending to elevate said carrier. means. including a lost-motion mecha nism, for lowering said carrier extending from the latter to an end platform of the car and terminating in a crank disk, and

means for automatically locking said crank disk against further turning movement in either direction when the carrier has been fully lowered.

(i. The combination with a car body, of a trolley-wheel carrier mounted thereon, a spring normally tending to elevate said carrier, means, including a lost-motion mechanism, for effecting the downward movement and controlling the upward movement of said carrier extending from the latter to an end platform of the car and terminating in a crank disk, and means for automatically locking said crank disk against further turning movement in. either direction when the carrier has been fully raised or lowered.

T. The combination with a car body, of a trolley-wheel carrier mounted thereon, a spring normally tending to elevate said car rier, means, including a lost-motion mechanism, for effecting the downward movement and controlling the upward movement of said carrier extending from the latter to an end platform of the car and terminating in a crank disk, szid crank disk having a spiral groove in one face thereof with locking holes in. the ends of said groove, and a springpressed locking pin engaging said groove and mounted to have sliding movement transversely of said groove.

8. The combination of a car body, a trolley adapted to be raised and lowered to permit vertical movement thereof with reference to said car body, a spring normally tending to elevate said trolley, and a raising and lowercontrolled connection extending to either endof sa1d car body, a lost motion mechanism interposed between said raising'and lowering connections and said trolley, said raising and lowering manually controlled connections being adapted to be locked in position positively to hold down said trolley and adapted to be locked in another position permitting the elevation of said trolley by virtue of said lost motion mechanism, and means for locking said manually controlled connections in either of said positions at either end of said car.

10. The combination of a car body, a laterally movable trolley adapted to be raised and lowered to permit vertical movement of said trolley with reference to said car body, a spring normally tending to elevate said trolley, a raising and lowering manually controlled connection extending to either end of said car body, a lost motion mechanism intersposed between said raising and lowering connections and said trolley, said raising and lowering manually controlled connections being adapted to be locked in position positively to hold down said trolley and adapted to be locked in another-position permitting the elevation of said trolley by means of said lost motion mechanism, means for locking said manually controlled connections in either of said positions at either end of said car, and means operating in conjunction with said lost motion mechanism for positively effecting a lateral movement of said trolley.

11. The combination of a car body, a trolley-support vertically extensible and pivoted to swing in a plane crosswise of the car body, manually controlled connections extending to and operable from either end of said ar for lowering said trolley, a springand a lost motion mechanism operating in conjunction therewith forautomatically elevating said trolley and permitting free up-and-down vertical movement of said trolley with reference to said car body when said manually controlled connections are placed in a certain position, and means for locking said manually controlled connections in another position so as to overcome and prevent the operation of'said spring and said lost motion mechanism and effect the holding down of said trolley.

12. The combination of a oar body, a trolley-support vertically extensible and pivoted to swing in a plane crosswise of the car body, manually controlled connections extending to and operable from either end of said car for lowering said trolley, a spring and a lost motion mechanismoperating in conjunction therewith for automatically elevating said trolley and permitting freeup-and-down vertical movement-of said trolley with reference to said car body when said manually controlled connections are placed in a certain position, means for lockmg said manually controlled connectlons in another position so as to overcome and prevent the operation of said. spring and said lost motion mechanism and effect the holding down of said trolley, and means operating' in conjunction with said lost motion mechanism for positively effecting a lateral swinging movement of said trolley while permitting normal free swinging movement of said trolley to allow for lateral irregularities of the trolley wheel.

18. The combination of a car body, a contact device, means for supporting said con tact device above the car body, a spring normally tending to elevate said contact device, a manually controlled connection for lowering the contact device extending from said supporting means to an end platform of the car, a lost motion device associated with said manually controlled connection and permitting freo up-and-down movement of said contact device under the influence of said spring when said manually controlled connection is set in a certain position, means for operating said manually controlled connection to effect a lowering of the contact device against the influence of said spring, and. means for effecting a lateral movement of said contact device.

14. The combination of a car body, a contact device, means for supporting said. contact device above the car body, pivoted on said car body to swing as a whole in a directioircrosswise of the car body, a spring normally tending to elevate said contact device, a manually controlled connection for lowering the contact device extending from said supporting means to an end platform of the car, a lost motion device associated with said manually controlled connection and permitting free up-and-down movement of said contact device under the influence of said spring when said manually controlled connection is set in a certain position, means for operating said manually controlled con nection to effect a lowering of the contact device against the influence of said spring, and means for effecting a lateral swinging movement of said contact device.

CARL KASPAR.

lVitnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND, MARY M; Lnrrn.

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